Warning! The following contains light SPOILERS regarding Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse. Read at your own risk!
Critics and audiences alike are responding well to Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse. That usually means a sequel is a safe bet in the film industry, and that's especially true when it comes to superhero adventures. With that said, here are some of the Spider-Heroes left out of this first adventure we'd desperately like to see make an appearance in a potential sequel.
Spider-Punisher
Marvel brought back its "What-If" storylines earlier this year, and its first issue featured a version of Spider-Man I'm sad to see didn't make his way into the movie. In this adventure, Peter Parker ends up trading his web shooters for bullet shooters and begins killing criminals much like Frank Castle does in the role. Spider-Punisher would be a great addition to the team, especially if any villains needed to be dealt with "permanently."
Of course, the rest of the Spider-Heroes probably wouldn't be down for that, so perhaps he could offer to off someone and then be shooed away shortly after. Either way, Netflix's assumed upcoming cancellation of The Punisher puts a hold on Marvel using Jon Bernthal's version for two years. Should an Into The Spider-Verse sequel emerge before that, this would be a great way to keep the character top of mind until Disney could potentially resume the series.
Australian Spider-Man
An original draft of Spider-man: Into The Spider-Verse contained an Australian Spider-Man, which sounds incredible. Unfortunately, co-director Rodney Rothman already revealed his introduction and exit wasn't too heavy, and he was ultimately cut from the feature. There's a silver lining, however, as the Aussie Spider-Man's lack of an introduction and subsequent death never happened, meaning there's always a chance he pops up in a potential sequel with some vegemite and a boomerang in tow!
Just the thought of an Australian Spider-Man and what he's about is "amazing" enough. Would this version of Peter Parker be like Mick Dundee, or would Marvel opt to play him less stereotypical and cast an actual Aussie like Hugh Jackman to play him? Both sound like great ideas, although the prospect of coaxing Jackman into yet another Marvel feature does leave open the prospect he could be swayed into another Wolverine feature. I can dream, right?
Spider-UK
William "Billy" Braddock may not be much more than a British version of Spider-Man, but his significance in Marvel's Spider-Verse storylines cannot be denied. Braddock eventually becomes the leader of the Web Warriors and is more than familiar with inter-dimensional travel. It stands to reason he's a character that could prove quite handy to the Into The Spider-Verse crew, even if he's essentially just a basic run of the mill Spider-Man with an accent.
Plus, including William Braddock into the storyline could make for a tie-in as Marvel prepares to release Spider-Man: Far From Home. Granted, Braddock is the Spider-Man of a different Earth than Miles and presumably Tom Holland, so Marvel would have some explaining to do for that to even make sense. Maybe he could be hopping dimensions in order to warn the Spider-Heroes of a threat, and accidentally mistake Tom Holland's Peter for Miles?
Spider-Punk
Hobart Brown may just look like a punk-rock version of Spider-Man, but this hero is no poser. In fact, this Spider-Hero once disabled an entire army through the power of punk rock and then defeated his enemy President Osborn with a swift guitar bash to the head. If that's not punk rock, I'm not sure what else qualifies. If the Spider-Verse is looking for someone to stand against oppression and topple authority, Brown's the guy.
As far as why he'd be great to see in a follow-up sequel to Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, look no further than the costume. Plus, inserting a musically-inclined Spider-Man into the story made for a great moment in the first film, so bringing in Hobart has the potential to create another great moment similar, if not better than that. Just imagine the Spider-Heroes springing into action, and Hobart Brown just shredding in the background as it unfolds.
Japanese Spider-Man
Back in the late '70s, Toei and Marvel joined forces to bring a Japanese version of Spider-Man to the Land of the Rising Sun. The result was Takuya Yamashiro, a Spider-Man unlike any other that had previously existed. Among other things, Yamashiro received his powers from a warrior hailing from the planet Spider and had a ship that transformed into a giant mech called Leopardon.
Of all the alternate versions of Spider-Man that exist, Takuya Yamashiro is perhaps among the weirdest. That's really saying something when Spider-Ham is included in the mix, but he worked in so well, it feels as though Yamashiro's version would slip in just about as seamlessly. Plus, Marvel officially included Yamashiro in a canon, comic book adventure back in 2014, so it's about time mainstream audiences get a taste of what Japan's short-lived Spider-Man is capable of.
Sam Raimi's Spider-Man
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse could throw all the cameos in the world at us, but none would be as cool as bringing Tobey Maguire back as Sam Raimi's Spider-Man. An argument can be made that the Spider-Man franchise would've never gotten this popular if it weren't for those films, and it can definitely be said Into The Spider-Verse wouldn't be the same without it. Just think of all the references to it in the adventure!
The question is, will Tobey Maguire ever reprise the role? Co-director Rodney Rotham balked at the idea apparently, as he felt having Maguire voice a character would've led to confusion. Of course, that doesn't mean there isn't a chance he could voice a character in an upcoming film, if not his version of Spider-Man. I'd certainly be down to see that, even if he and Jake Johnson's Peter Parker are practically the same individuals.
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse is now playing in theaters. For more on the film and what we thought of it, check out the Spider-Man villains we'd like to see make an appearance in a potential sequel.
